It'll be played in Canada, but it's still just a preseason game. Nothing more, nothing less, which means tonight's Steelers-Bills clash in Toronto will be nothing less than critical for those who would be Steelers.

There's more at stake tonight than the punting derby between Mitch Berger, who enjoys home-country advantage in this game, and Paul Ernster.

Consider:

Wide receivers Willie Reid and Dallas Baker - A spot seemingly exists at the position behind Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward, Nate Washington and Limas Sweed. But to this point, neither Reid nor Baker have established themselves as worthy. Reid's chances at becoming a star returner, something he was drafted to do in the third round in 2006, have all but evaporated. But he still has a chance to salvage himself as a pass-catcher if the brief but noticeable flash he produced this week can be sustained.

Baker is J.A.G. - scouting vernacular for "just a guy."

Chances are, the fifth receiver will come from another team's final cuts.

But with Byron Leftwich firing fastballs as the No. 2 passer, there's still time for someone on the current roster to make a compelling argument.

Offensive tackle Tony Hills - It's been difficult to determine if Hills, a fourth-round pick from Texas, is John Jackson or Fred Gibson/Ryan McBean.

Jackson was so overwhelmed as a rookie during a preseason disaster in New Orleans that he became convinced he'd be cut, to the extent that he was shaking hands and saying good-byes in the locker room afterward. But the Steelers kept Jackson, a 10th round pick in 1988, and he wound up sticking around until 1997.

Gibson, a fourth-round pick out of Georgia in 2005, failed to make the team as a rookie, something McBean did as a fourth-rounder from Oklahoma State last season and will again this year.